APWA Big Bend Chapter Selects Three Genesis Projects for Awards in One Day

APWA Big Bend Chapter Selects Three Genesis Projects for Awards in One Day

Posted on 2015-03-05 by Craig H. Anderson

The American Public Works Association (APWA) Big Bend Chapter has selected not one but three of Genesis' projects as 2014 Project of the Year in their respective categories.

Genesis is honored to have been able to be a part of these public works, and extend our gratitude to our clients Blueprint 2000, City of Tallahassee Electric, and Leon County for entrusting us with the stewardship of these important projects to better our communities.

Cascades Park - Multifunction Category

The new 25-acre urban park in Tallahassee successfully performs as a major new flood control / flood plain management system, and an outstanding recreational facility for the community. Funding for the $30 million project was obtained primarily through the Leon County penny sales tax, under Blueprint 2000 and Beyond, the intergovernmental agency of Leon County and City of Tallahassee. The Park lies on an U. S. EPA Superfund site and is a model for reuse of an abandoned industrial site for recreational uses and stormwater management. The client and maintaining agencies are delighted with the completed project, and the community has embraced Cascades Park as the preeminent facility in the Tallahassee Parks system.

The project consisted of placing the overhead distribution line underground from an existing manhole at the northwest corner of Centerville Road and Shamrock South and extending north approximately 1.75 miles along Centerville Road to Pimlico Drive. The location of the existing line on the west side of Centerville Road follows an existing multi-use trail within the utility easement. Due to the environmentally sensitive Centerville Road Canopy Road Protection Zone (CRCRPZ), the distribution line was to be placed underground with manholes placed approximately 1,000 feet apart. In order to preserve the canopy, the conduit for the distribution line was to be directionally drilled, thereby minimizing negative environmental impacts to the area. With 11 manholes approximately 12 ft. x 12 ft. each to be installed, some tree removal during construction was unavoidable.

Lafayette Street is considered one of the oldest roadway corridors in Tallahassee. This Phase II portion of the project, from CSX Railroad to east of Seminole Drive, is one segment of the historic roadway that provided a connection from the City’s original capitol building to the City of St. Augustine.

The primary purpose of this stormwater project was to improve the stormwater collection and conveyance system and reduce flooding. The existing system, which consisted primarily of two catch basins at the railroad bridge, could not accommodate the stormwater runoff that accumulated within the roadway. The result was frequent flooding and on-going deterioration of the roadway. A completely new stormwater system was installed throughout the project limits. The system include drainage inlets, edge drains, conflict manholes and ditch bottom inlets for collecting runoff from each contributing area. It also includes a continuous stormsewer trunk line that connects to the new Cascades Park stormsewer system. The system consists of concrete piping ranging from 18-inch diameter up to 36-inch diameter.

During the design phase, other improvements were deemed necessary, including:

An expanded pedestrian pathway, originally planned to be 5-feet wide, which was widened to 8-feet with decorative scoring, to accommodate businesses and residential access and provide a continuous connection from Myers Park to Cascades Park.

Removal of the existing concrete roadway, along with unsuitable soils, and replacement with select backfill, limerock base and new asphalt pavement.

Sharrows to accommodate bicycle traffic from the nearby Cascades Park and to provide bicycle access to transit stops along the corridor.

Genesis provides Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Planning, GIS, and Urban Design services for private land developers, government agencies, institutions, and industrial clients throughout the Southeastern United States and internationally.